Online marketing is so central to hotel business these days that it is hard to remember a time when people managed without it. Baby boomers have mostly been converted, while the millennials seldom book any other way. The benefit of using the web is obvious – firstly, because it can be done alongside other online activities in the course of the day, such as making other bookings and purchases, as well as leisure activity like using social media. Secondly, because it is – or should be – a quick and simple thing to do.
A hotel website should be a one-stop shop in which customers can see and read all they need to know, and then proceed to make a booking. However, the reality is that a lot can go wrong. While great effort can be expended in bringing web traffic to a hotel website, for all kinds of reasons this is not always converted into sales. Indeed, it is worse than that; according to a study by SalesCycle earlier this year, as many as 81 per cent of visitors to a site do not proceed to booking. With 86 per cent of those surveyed revealing they tend to book online, failings in the system are clearly going to impact badly on the fortunes of some hotels and chains. The above finding needs to be put in perspective: 39 per cent of the 1,000 people questioned said the main reason for not going ahead with a booking was that they were just browsing.
For people who like to look at several options before deciding, there is only so much that can be done to get them to do something out of character and book with the first site they see. It is better to ensure they are impressed enough that they come back after comparing the alternatives. Similarly, 37 per cent wanted to compare prices, or though the cost was too high, while 21 per cent needed to check things with fellow travellers before booking. Clearly these were not issues arising from the workings of the booking system. What should be of greater concern is where such problems are clearly an issue. For example, 13 per cent said they abandoned a transaction because it took too long or was excessively complex. Nine per cent stopped because of technical issues or a lost connection, while seven per cent cited a payment issue or a lack of options. In theory at least, these should all be resolvable. The 13 per cent who stop because of complexity or time may have hit on a clear issue, but it is also one that can be fixed. Check your booking process and make sure that it does not have too many pages. Do not leave too many fields to fill in. For example, it might seem like a great idea to leave a list of boxes to tick for possible special needs – everything from food allergies to the need for a highchair – but it would be simpler to leave a box in which people can write what they need.
After all, if the information they give is unclear, it is always possible to email the customer back for clarification. Critically, that would take place after the booking is made – and would also indicated a commitment to good service. Technical issues are also resolvable – provided it is an issue at your end. Clearly, if the consumer has a poor internet connection it is likely to be their problem, but if it is your own then such failings are likely to be frequent. Given the cost in lost revenue, it would be a false economy not to invest in a system that is not prone to outages. Similarly, a good payments system is vital – so ensure you get the technical support needed to have this functioning as it should.Interestingly, the point of abandonment was when the final cost became clear in 53 per cent of cases.
This offers another lesson; that hidden charges are not a great idea. This was a big issue in low-cost airline bookings a few years ago, with all sorts of hidden extras concealed in the small print until the final page. While the practice was curbed by regulators, the fact is many consumers will do some regulating of their own. It makes sense to be upfront about the cost for one simple reason. The final price may sneak beyond someone’s budget, but it is more likely they are unhappy with what they will see as an underhand attempt to grab a bit more money off them. Other common reasons for abandonment are being asked for personal details (26 per cent) or payment details (21 per cent), many of which may be due to the customer not having some of this information to hand at the time. However, it is not all bad news. The survey found 87 per cent of customers would consider returning to the site to have a second go at booking. That suggests that unless the problem is endemic – such as the hotel site being at fault for a lost connection – the bulk of abandonment may only be temporary.
